Gift
by Perzona
Summary: It was Sephiroth's birthday, but neither Angeal nor Genesis were around to celebrate it. As a colleague, Erika offers him dinner with humorous consequences. Pre-Crisis Core. Implied SephXOC. One shot.


AN: Hello! I've finally written another fanfic after months of hiatus in preparation for one of the biggest exams of my life! After looking through fanfiction, I've realized a trend whenever writers introduce their OCs into a story: they tend to be romance stories with M ratings. Well, I wrote this oneshot to prove that not all OC related stories have to be M rated!

After thinking for five minutes, I've finally came up with a fanfic that puts the emphasis on friendship rather than romance. Okay, enough of my rambling. Enjoy~!

**Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VII and all its related characters belong to Square Enix. I do not own anything, except for my OC Erika. **

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><p>The sound of metal against metal echoed through the room. The SOLDIER swung his sword at his opponent again and again. However, his efforts were in vain; the bloody sword couldn't even touch his opponent! Still, he had to fight on. Before he could swing his sword once more, he was horrified that it went right through his enemy. The opponent slowly dissolved into digits, much to his disappointment. The SOLDIER turned to the only large glass wall in the room and shouted: "Hey, what is that for?"<p>

There was no answer. He took off the helmet around his head and shouted again: "Hey, answer me Erika!"

The woman sitting at the controls simply grabbed the microphone and said: "Get your ass out of there Kunsel. Your time is up."

He could only grudgingly obey her commands. A Second SOLDIER had no right to talk back to a First classed SOLDIER. As he exited the stimulation room, Erika pushed herself up from the chair and went over to the small group of Second classed SOLDIERs standing behind her. Kunsel rejoined the group and waited for his superior to give her usual debrief. She went through the mistakes they made during the training session and suggested ways on how they could improve their technique. After the debrief, she dismissed them and began to pack up.

Meanwhile, the SOLDIERs behind her began to buzz. "Hey, it's Sephiroth's birthday today right?"

"Yeah! Too bad for him though. He usually celebrates with only Angeal and Genesis. Its a shame that neither of them are in town now."

Erika looked up and said: "What are you guys still standing there for? You're free to go off for your break."

They turned to Erika and asked: "Hey, are you going to celebrate Sephiroth's birthday for him?"

She crossed her arms and answered: "Why should I?"

"C'mon Erika, you're a fellow First class SOLDIER! You could at least do the guy a favor by celebrating it with him!"

"If you are so eager to celebrate Sephiroth's birthday, you are welcome to do so yourself."

The Seconds became quiet. Erika sighed and said: "If you have nothing else, would you please excuse me? I have work to do in the office. Report for the next training session tomorrow at 3pm sharp."

After she had finally made her way out of the stimulation room, Erika made her own way to her office. There was an internal conflict within her. Should she at least help Sephiroth to make the day special? But she hardly spoke to him. The only First she spoke the most to was Angeal. With Angeal, she treated him like a good friend. With Genesis, she treated him like a respected colleague. Rare few words were exchanged between her and Sephiroth despite their lengthy acquaintance. The only words that came out of their mouths were matters concerning Shinra. None treaded into each another's private lives. So why should she celebrate his birthday now?

Just then, the said man headed her way. He walked up towards her and greeted her. "Good afternoon."

Erika bent her head in a slight bow. "Good afternoon to you too."

Sephiroth held out a stack of papers and said: "Director Lazard was asking me to pass this to all of the Firsts. Since Angeal and Genesis are not around, I figured that I should pass this to you first."

Erika took the stack from him and nodded curtly. Before Sephiroth had a chance to leave, she looked up and called out: "Thanks! By the way, happy birthday."

He stopped. "I don't remember telling you it's my birthday."

Yeap, Sephiroth was always this blunt. "Birthdays of famous figures are always the hottest topic in our company."

He sighed. "I see. Thank you for your well wishes."

He was about to take another step forward when Erika said: "Why don't I treat you for dinner tonight as a birthday gift?"

Now, Sephiroth gave his full attention by turning around to face her. "Why would you want to do that?"

She crossed her arms. "Is it so wrong to treat a fellow colleague to dinner on his birthday? Besides, with Angeal and Genesis out of town, I thought you needed some company."

A small smile formed on his lips. "How... thoughtful of you."

She grinned and asked again: "So, how about it? Dinner tonight at Midgar city?"

Slowly, his smile turned into a smirk. For some reason, that made Erika really uneasy. "Well, I will consider. But would you mind doing me a favor, seeing that it is my birthday?"

She shrugged. "Sure, what is it?"

Not too far away, a familiar voice called out. "Seeeeeeeeeeeeephiroth! Where are you? Angeal promised you'd train me today!"

Erika felt a shiver down her spine. Oh. Hell. No.

Then, it happened. Zack Fair bounced down the hallways, yelling at the top of his lungs for the famous Shinra Hero. Sephiroth kept the smirk on his face as he asked: "Would you keep Zack company for me? As it is, I have too much on my hands. Surely you can do this small favor for me."

Zack ran over before Erika could say a word. "There you are! Hey, when can we start training? I'm finally going to fight you today!"

Sephiroth turned to him and answered: "I have other plans for you Zack. Erika has kindly offered to take you for training instead. She has even promised that she would train you by fighting you personally."

Erika swore that Sephiroth was a devil from hell. Zack's eyes lit up at once. "Seriously? Alright! Let's go Erika!"

And before Sephiroth could leave, he added: "And I think I would like to accept that dinner offer Erika. I hope you would be able to accommodate my high-classed tastes for French cuisine. I'll have to thank Genesis for that. I'll see you at 7 tonight."

As he walked off, Erika had a very strong desire to kill him. Zack was stunned for a moment before he asked: "Erika, are you dating Sephiroth?"

She finally snapped. ".WAY."

Erika turned around to kill the silver haired SOLDIER, but he had already disappeared. As his laughter rang through the hallways, Erika made a mental note never to come into contact with that devil ever again.

Sephiroth was in high spirits for once. He really had to admit, a birthday with only Erika was actually quite entertaining. As he heard her yell through the hallways, he placed a hand at his chin. "Should I at least makeup for it by buying her some roses?"

He thought for awhile. "I guess not. It's my birthday after all."

The next day, Angeal and Genesis were surprised to find a very grouchy Erika and a smiling Sephiroth sitting opposite each another in the cafeteria. Neither men could comprehend what had just happened. Perhaps what really happened on Sephiroth's birthday would remain a mystery forever.

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><p>R&amp;R please! :)<p> 


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